Sony on shelving 'The Interview': 'We had no choice'

NEW YORK - Following pointed criticism from President Barack Obama for shelving "The Interview," Sony Pictures Entertainment on Friday defended its decision, claiming it had no choice but to cancel the film's Christmas Day theatrical release.

Obama said during a press conference Friday that Sony "made a mistake" in dropping "The Interview." However, the studio fired back, saying the cancellation happened only because the country's top theater chains pulled out. "This was their decision," Sony said in a statement.

Sony insists it has only cancelled the Christmas Day release and that it has been "actively surveying alternatives" to release the film on a different platform. In an interview with CNN Friday, Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton said "the President, the press and the public are mistaken about what happened."